1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to low-speed inerting means and to a device implementing said inerting means for packaging a foodstuff, in particular a liquid such as wine or an analogous beverage.
2. The Related Art
Document EP 1 235 501 B1 describes a method of packaging wine in a receptacle closed by a capsule. When implementing that method, the receptacle passes in succession via:                a filler station for filling the receptacle with an inert gas;        a filler station for filling the receptacle with wine;        a station for depositing the capsule on the rim of the receptacle;        a heat-sealing station for sealing the capsule on the receptacle; and        a post-forming station for shaping the margins of the capsule so as to fold them down against the walls of the receptacle.        
The purpose of that method and the associated device is to lengthen the time the wine contained in the receptacle is preserved by limiting the quantity of air in contact with the wine.
In a first variant of that method, the head volume of the receptacle, i.e. the volume situated between the capsule and the surface of the liquid filling the receptacle, is depleted in oxygen, which is particularly useful when the liquid is wine. Oxygen leads to oxidation of wine, thereby making it unsuitable for consumption in the short or medium term.
Document EP 1 235 501 B1 specifies that it can be advantageous to fill the wine receptacle in an inert environment, i.e. an environment made up of an inert gas. Although that is effective, the resulting device becomes particularly complicated since it is necessary to enclose the filler, closure, and heat-sealing stations within an enclosure that is saturated in inert gas in order to isolate the various stations from the surroundings and thus from the surrounding atmosphere. The manufacturing cost of the device and its utilization cost, then become large, in particular because of the large quantities of inert gas that need to be used. In addition, it is found that the large number of stations needed for performing packaging is disadvantageous in terms of cost, maintenance, and bulk. Furthermore, since the enclosure needs to be completely filled with inert gas, the time taken for packaging becomes large, which can lead to a non-negligible loss of revenue.